


Viennese Boy 1969

by SilverLynxx



Series: Rush Prompt Fics [4]
Category: Rush (2013)
Genre: F3 Years, Gen, If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, Prompt Fic, Rathunt - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-30
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 14:23:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1391017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverLynxx/pseuds/SilverLynxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Prompt:</b> Niki ends up with blond hair for whatever natural reason. James and Niki's reactions?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Viennese Boy 1969

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by **Nadayogurt** on tumblr.  
>  I bought Niki Lauda’s _‘For the Record’_ upon Nada’s recommendation but 2 of the pictures were missing from my copy! Nada was kind enough to take pictures from her book, this fic is based on the picture of the same name.

It’s the start of the new racing season, and alongside getting back in the car for some proper F3 racing, James can’t deny that he’s excited about seeing Niki again. Putting aside their rivalry on the track and the fact he hasn’t known the man long, James has taken a strong liking to the no-nonsense Austrian who speaks bluntly and drives with undeniable skill.

James weaves through the milling spectators looking for said Austrian, and he soon spots Niki’s skinny figure standing by his car, looking like a flagpole in his unmarked white overalls. He almost didn’t recognise him with his distinctive brown curls hidden beneath his rolled up mask.

“Niki!”

The man looks up and squints from the sun, but waves when he spots James jogging towards him.

“James,” he greets pleasantly as the Brit grips his shoulder and squeezes.

“Confident for the season, my Ratty friend?”

“Of course,” Niki replies simply, and James laughs.

“Well, we’ll see on the course, it’s good to see you again, Niki,” the Brit beams. Niki quirks a smile of his own and nods.

“You too, James.” They part ways to begin the race.  

James comes first, Niki second.

As James hauls himself out of the car he looks around to congratulate Niki on the close finish, but the Austrian’s car is sat empty at the finish line and Niki is nowhere to be seen. While the draw of the podium girls is strong, James instead goes to search for the wayward rat, intent on dragging him to the stands if he has to. He scouts out Niki’s trailer and doesn’t bother announcing himself as he hoists himself up and into the box, he freezes when he sees Niki remove his mask and quickly pull on a cap in its place, and no…surely not.

“Niki, what in the blazes have you done to your hair!” Niki jumps and whirls around with a startled curse.

“James, for fuck sake, you scared me!”  The blond ignores him, mouth stretched into a helpless grin as he tries to see Niki’s hair and reaches for the offending hat. Niki jerks away with an irritable sound, holding the visor and pulling it down further.

  
“It’s nothing, mind your own damn business, Hunt!”  Niki is using the tone he uses when he really isn’t in the mood for James’ antics, and it’s often at this point James takes the hint, but his curiosity has to be satisfied.

James holds up his hands in a mock surrender, “Ok, Ratty, I just came to get you for the rostrum. They’re probably wondering where their winners are, we don’t want rumours about a torrid affair before we’ve even gotten into Formula One, now do we?” James grins cheekily.

“You are a disgrace, James Hunt,” Niki huffs without bite as he warily steps around James to leave the trailer. James smiles disarmingly, but then he lunges forward and pulls Niki’s cap from his head as the Austrian gives a wordless cry of anger and makes a fruitless snatch for his hat.

“Good God, Niki!” James stares at him with an incredulous grin before he promptly doubles over laughing.  

“Shut up!” Niki moans in dismay, his cheeks burning.

The Austrian stands fuming and blushing madly as James tries to regain some semblance of composure, but he’s still giggling when he finally manages to stand up straight again to see Niki with his arms crossed defensively.

“Why are you _blond_?” And it’s a fair enough question, because Niki’s chocolate brown hair is brown no longer. While James can see his roots and the curls at the nape of his neck are the familiar darker shade, the majority of the man’s hair has turned a dirty blond, perhaps even a shade lighter than James’ own. It doesn’t suit him in the slightest.

Niki is torn between cussing the man out in German and simply stalking away, but that would require leaving the trailer without his hat. Defeated, Niki figures its best to face James cap-less than the entire F3 circuit.

“I was in the sun a lot when testing, it just turned this colour,” Niki sniped. “Now give me back my hat!”

“No no, I’m making sure I never forget the sight of a blond Niki Lauda!” the Brit smirks and holds the hat out of reach, much to Niki’s annoyance.

  
“James please, this is humiliating enough as it is!” he isn’t pleading, goddamn it he isn’t! But as insufferable as James is, all puffed up in his amusement like a damn peacock, he relents and gives Niki his hat back. The blond hair is quickly hidden away beneath the cap and Niki smacks James’ shoulder irritably.

“Let’s go, before they think we’ve killed each other,” Niki scowls, hopping out of the trailer as a beaming James ambles after him.

They’re welcomed by photographers and spectators as they finally mount the awaiting podium, and as they hold up their minute trophies and wave, lost in the adulation, James suddenly flicks off Niki’s cap.

A camera flashes before the once-brunet can hastily reclaim it.

Niki thumps James good and proper for that one.

 

**Author's Note:**

> **Fun Fact:** This actually happened to me when I was younger. I had light brown hair and one summer we had amazing weather and I was outside for hours everyday, by the end of the summer I had the big random patch of blonde in my hair :P


End file.
